7.29.2008

Off to a New Start: Wish me Luck!

Our weekend in the mountains was complete respite from our busy urban lives. Once we pulled up to our little oasis in the woods I think we all simultaneously exhaled a collective sigh of relief. Perhaps the highlight was our dip in the river accompanied by high-pitched squeals as soon as the frigid water met bare skin. Or maybe it was star-gazing along the train tracks. Or the many scrumptious home-cooked meals prepared by savvy cooks. Funny how even our war with the invasive forest ants, the poor plumbing, and the growling dog down the road all quickly became faint background noise to our restful woodland adventures. There's nothing quite like a weekend getaway to place life's little annoyances into a bigger perspective. (Obsess over the ants or go take a plunge in the river? Um, river please!)

But you might want to grab a cup of tea, at this point, because I have a longer post to share today in addition to my tidy little weekend summary. See, tomorrow is my big day. Yup, the first day of a new job with a great arts organization in San Francisco. I'm about to begin as the new program director of artists resources and I couldn't be more thrilled about this upcoming gig. After months of freelancing as a grant writer, searching for stable work, and frugally (quite frugally) living the resourceful artist's life, I am happy to be on the verge of steady paychecks, a collaborative work environment, and more secure employment.

But am I nervous? Yes. Am I anxious? Yes. Am I quite full of uncertainty about the new unknowns? Yes, yes, yes. But I've come to some recent realizations and I have to trust that knowledge to lead me down the next phase of my creative life. For starters, while I'm willing to navigate some unstable bank accounts in the name of what I love, last summer I graduated with an MFA in poetry and book arts which means I could be famous in both disciplines and still be broke! I trust this will evolve, in time, as I continue to branch out into new artistic territory and eventually gain bigger traction with my own creative work. But I also realized that I don't want to hustle for consulting work as a grantwriter and odd-jobber anymore because I want to use my free time to make art. Yes, I do.

And so, while I'm full of questions and concerns about taking a new job as an arts administrator, (Like, how will I ever manage to keep up with my studio life, my creative dreams, my online life, and my personal life while I'm working in an office 4 days a week and commuting 45 minutes each way?) I'm also super excited about this new job. The organization is amazing and my colleagues are seemingly wonderful artists, curators, and administrators. So, today I stand at that pivotal point of looking back and looking ahead, knowing that tomorrow will start a big new adventure. (Eek!) Luckily, I've weathered enough transitions, relocations, and new beginnings to know that I'm dedicated to my creative life and the many paths and twists and turns and dips that it continues to take. (Thank goodness.) But in the meantime-- some serious transition lies ahead!

So, I hope you will bear with me as I sort through the new pacing of my blog, my studio life, and my creative escapades. I've enjoyed this little corner of the web so much in the past few months and I'm quite certain I will enjoy it for many months to come. But as for today, I'm full of questions and quivers and I just hope I get some sleep tonight! I hope your own studios and gardens and creative lives are just bursting with inspiration. Dear friends, wish me luck!

katrina you are still an artist even if you have an office job. this job doesn't define you forever. it gives you a stable income, a cool office community, and some more time to develop your art. trust yourself. this is all movement. not full of endings. full of movement.

Not only I wish you luck... I'll make sure to accompany you along your new life adventure, the exciting and the low times, witnessing all you want to share... You are full of art, no job can't leave that behind...:)